By Samuel Williams, Jr.,
Special to the AFRO
Black churches in the District of Columbia,Maryland and Northern Virginia area (DMV) have been slow to return to in-person services.
The high touch and contact-heavy style of traditional Black churches has collided with many of their COVID-19 weary congregants, resulting in a new hybrid style of worship that is here to stay.
Black preachers over the years have encouraged their congregations to physically interact.
Anybody who has attended a Black Church knows there are moments in the service congregants are asked to “touch your neighbor,” “high-five somebody” or “hug someone and tell them you’re glad to see them.”
Such practices can be a health hazard during a global pandemic.
“Every church has to make a decision on where they believe the line of safety is,” said the Rev. Howard-John Wesley, pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va.
“And in our mind, one member contracting COVID on the grounds of Alfred Street would be more than we believe glorifies God.”
Alfred Street Baptist Church has faced two realities during the pandemic: virtual services are successfully attracting members, and people are continuing to die from the coronavirus, including a variant Wesley said recently took the life of a 39-year-old church member.
Wesley said his church is erring on the side of caution — and many of his colleagues are coming to the same conclusions.
“We compare that to the imagery you see of evangelical White conservative Christians that have their churches back open and are erring on the side of ‘faith,’ and that God will protect us,” Wesley said. “I think you have just a different perspective within African Americans.”
Two and a half years into the COVID-19 Pandemic, even those area Black churches with a solid core of members returning to in-person worship, have maintained a virtual option for congregants who prefer the comfort and safety of virtual worship.
The Rev. Kip Banks, pastor of East Washington Heights Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and a senior consultant for Values Partnership, works with Black pastors across the country.
Banks said his church, which returned to offering in-person services in September, has about 200 active members. Roughly 70 members opt to access the services via an online stream each week. An additional 40 to 50 congregants meet in person.
“Even for those that have gone to hybrid format, the majority of worshippers are still online, and you find that across the board,” said Banks.
Churches have also found innovative ways to collect tithes and offerings. Many churches have seen an increase, rather than a deficit of offerings during the pandemic.
According to research released by the U.S. News reported that nearly one year after the pandemic hit, churches were in a far better financial position than they had anticipated. According to Lifeway Research, nearly half of all Protestant pastors say that the current economy isn’t impacting their congregation. The same report says that most churches that saw an initial decline in giving saw a rebound in generosity in 2021.
“Even for those that have gone to hybrid format, the majority of worshippers are still online, and you find that across the board,” said Banks.
More than 78 percent of evangelicals say they watched online worship services as a substitute for missing in-person worship, according to the website Grey Matter. Of that number, 87 percent watched the church they were attending prior to the pandemic.
“The church has to make a major adjustment to online worship,” said Banks about the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s with us to stay.”
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